On moving to Dorset I hoped to end my obsession with buying clothes, imagining my country wardrobe of jeans, wellies, Barbour and even a dog to go with my new look! Instead I love fashion more than ever, wear heels most days and miss city shops despite loving life by the sea. Writing about my fashion finds will hopefully become a replacement for making so many unnecessary online purchases and my husband can finally work from home without being interrupted by the postman!

Follow by Email

Thursday, 30 October 2014

Classic Item: The Trench Coat

Way back in the spring I was looking to replace my ten year old trench coat (see here) and despite an extensive search I couldn't quite find one that ticked all the boxes. I think the main problem was that most of the ones I tried were made of a fairly stiff material and felt quite formal, which is fine if you need to look smart for work, but I wanted one that would look just as good dressed down with jeans and trainers. I obviously abandoned the search in the summer, but happened to see this one in Paris in August, when I wasn't looking for one at all:

I knew straightway that it was THE ONE. For a start, it's a proper camel colour which I prefer to all the lighter beige trench coats around, and more importantly the material is flowy so it feels more casual and easier to wear in a variety of different ways. I also like the modern twist from the camouflage lining:

With hindsight, I'm so glad I've bought it, as with the unbelievably mild autumn weather I've worn it so much and have decided not to get a new winter coat this year, or maybe get one in the sales as I'm sure there will still be lots around. This is how I've worn it dressed down, for a walk at Stourhead en famille this week:

Scarf - Zara AW14

Trench - Zara AW14

Grey Sweater - American Vintage AW13

Jeans - Zara AW13

Trainers - Stan Smiths

Rucksack - Mint Velvet AW14

And slightly more dressed up for a meeting the other day:

Trench - Zara AW14

Scarf - Zara AW13

Grey Jeans - Zara AW14

Boots - Office AW12

Rucksack - Mint Velvet AW14

And if you're looking for a slightly more structured/smarter trench coat this Topshop one looks really good on, it's a really thick material but isn't stiff:

11 comments:

Your mac outfit is one of my favourite looks I have seen you in Abbi! The mac is amazing! I don't blame you for holding off on a coat purchase....fingers crossed this mild weather will mean you get tons of wear out of this! xx

Abbi, I love this. You picked a fantastic one. In the vacuumed my mind I've always thought I'd eventually get a Burberry but it would have to be a birthday purchase given the price. There's always other things I want meow when my birthday comes around. Looking at your mac I'm now rethinking this plan x

Abbi love it! I too prefer the camel coloured trenches. My Burberry is the paler one and I sometimes regret not getting the honey colour but beggars can not be choosers when I it was 30% off. Love how you have styled it with the check zara scarf. Xx

hithe trench looks amazing on you! i've been eyeing it online but was wondering if you could give me any tips on sizing? i normally wear a S in zara and am an 8 or sometimes a 10uk if the sizing a bit smaller. it's all sold out but there's one available in XS. dare i? how tight are the sleeves?thanks x